


Surprise Date

by Teyamarra



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, JJ is very sneaky, but that's why we love JJ, lots of humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24571531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teyamarra/pseuds/Teyamarra
Summary: “Oh, my Lanta, if you would’ve taken a left when I told you to, we would have avoided all of the unnecessary traffic!” Penelope grumbled undoing her seatbelt.“Hey! We made decent time!”“Yeah, but only because you drove like a maniac. Seriously, newbie, the speed limit is not a suggestion.” Penelope went to open her car door only to feel Luke’s hands on hers. She recoiled, pulled her hand back, giving him a deadly glare.
Relationships: Luke Alvez/Penelope Garcia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 103





	Surprise Date

**Author's Note:**

> It's 8:32 A.M. and I have not been to sleep. I really just wanted to finish writing this and get it posted before I lost the idea altogether. Let me know what you think and hit that kudos button.

“Okay first of all, it is not a double date. Luke and I will be third and fourth wheeling, respectively. Second, it was supposed to be you, me, and Will, you’re the one who invited Alvez.” Penelope pouted. 

When JJ had invited Penelope to crash her date night with Will, Penelope was hesitant to accept. With their job it was near impossible for JJ to get alone time with her family, and it was even harder to get alone time with Will, without her two rugrats, but after Pen’s breakup with Sam, JJ had insisted. It’d seemed like the perfect night in the beginning. A nice movie, fancy restaurant, and then a walk around the pier. Then Jennifer had ambushed Penelope by inviting Luke Alvez, her nemesis.

“Garcia.” JJ started seriously, “It’ll be fun! Will has been dying to get to know Luke better, and maybe you two could get over whatever little tiff you guys have towards each other.”

“Tiff? Tiff? We don’t have a tiff, we’re cool. Coworkers. Fr-frie-friends.” Penelope stammered, gagging on the f-word.  _ Okay maybe we do have a tiff… _

“Friend, Penelope. Luke is your  _ friend _ .” 

“Okay fine,  _ maybe _ we have a tiff, but why do we need to get over it? I think we’re handling it just fine. It’s not too late to uninvite him, you know.”

“Penelope!” JJ gave her friend a pointed look, “Unless we get a case, you, me, Will,  _ and Luke _ will have an amazing night,  _ together _ .

Penelope threw her hands up, “Fine, fine. Whatever you say, warden.” Penelope conceded, turning towards her computer. “If you don’t have any other demands for me, I have case files to sort through.”

* * *

For the first time in all of her years as a technical analyst for the FBI, serial killers had chosen to be mindful of her dinner plans. Dinner plans that she didn’t even want to keep. She was tempted to call JJ and feign sick, but JJ would see right through her.

Penelope eyed herself in the mirror. She looked good, not her run of the mill everyday good, not even her excited first date good. She’d gone all out to look her best and she couldn’t figure out why. Both Will and JJ had seen her at her worst, and there was no way in hell that she had dressed up to impress Luke.  _ Was there? _

Penelope didn’t ponder on that thought, a steady rhythm sounding at her front door. “Coming!” She called out running through her apartment, grabbing her coat and purse on her way. Penelope’s grin faltered after she swung her door open, “What’re you doing here?”

“Hello to you too, Penelope.” Luke replied with a crooked grin, “JJ and Will were running a little behind so I offered to pick you up, you don’t mind, do you?”

Penelope shifted awkwardly, “Uh – no I guess not.”

Luke nodded enthusiastically, “Great! In that case, these are for you.” Luke handed her a colorful bouquet of tulips, orchids, and dandelions. A pang shot through Penelope’s chest. 

“I uh - thank you, you didn’t have to get me these.” 

“No need to thank me, I saw a little shop on my way here, and my mother always said never show up at a woman’s house empty handed.” 

Penelope grinned, “She sounds like a smart lady. Let me put these in some water and then we’ll skedaddle.”

* * *

“Oh, my Lanta, if you would’ve taken a left when I told you to, we would have avoided all of the unnecessary traffic!” Penelope grumbled undoing her seatbelt. 

“Hey! We made decent time!”

“Yeah, but only because you drove like a maniac. Seriously, newbie, the speed limit is not a suggestion.” Penelope went to open her car door only to feel Luke’s hands on hers. She recoiled, pulled her hand back, giving him a deadly glare.

“Ah, ah, let me. It’s the least I can do for driving like a maniac.” Luke put maniac in air quotes.

“Fine.” 

Luke made quick work of undoing his seat-belt, getting out of his car, and opening Penelope’s door with an exaggerated bow. “M’lady.”

Penelope fought the smirk threatening to play over perfectly painted lips, “There might be hope for you yet, newbie.”

* * *

“There you guys are, JJ thought you may have killed each other.” Will drawled, reaching out to pull Penelope into a hug.

“See! I told you we were late.” Penelope shot a glare towards Luke, pulling back from Will’s embrace.

“We are not late; the movie hasn’t even started. We’re just missing the previews.”

“The previews are the best part!”

“Says who?”

Will looked back and forth between the arguing couple, before leaning towards his wife, whispering in her ear, “Are they always like this?”

JJ grunted, nodding. “Sometimes worse.” JJ clapped her hands together, drawing both Penelope and Luke’s attention, “We should probably go in. You know, before the movie does start.”

* * *

The movie had started out great until Penelope had realized it was a slasher film. Seriously what was it with profilers and their love for all things gory? She couldn’t get through the first thirty minutes without having to cover her eyes. Penelope seriously hoped that her eye-shadow wasn’t too smudged. 

Somewhere between halfway through the movie and the end, Luke had snaked his arm behind her, pulling her into him. Penelope noticed it but for some reason she couldn’t find it in her to be bothered. It was somewhat comforting. By the end of the movie they were essentially cuddling. 

Their newfound closeness didn’t escape Will or JJ. “Are you seeing what i’m seeing?” Will whispered, pulling his wife closer to his chest. 

“Quick, pinch me. I think i’m dreaming.”

* * *

“Alright we have some bad news!” JJ announced, clasping her hands together, a sympathetic look crossing her face. “Our sitter just texted, Michael has a fever and he’s not sleeping. Will and I need to get home.” 

Penelope pouted, “Oh no, I'll come sit with Henry, so you two can take care of Michael.” 

Will and JJ protested at the same, “No.”

“No.”

“No?” Garcia asked, a flash of hurt crossing her features.

“No.” JJ repeated, “Henry’s already in bed, besides, you and Luke should still go to dinner. Will worked really hard to get those reservations, we’d hate for them to go to waste, right honey?” JJ asked, nudging her husband with her elbow.   


“Right! I’d hate for our reservation to go to waste.”

“Uh, well if you say so. Give both of my godsons my love, and maybe we can reschedule some other time?” Penelope asked, leaning in to hug both JJ and Will.

“Of course, darling.” Will replied, pressing a kiss into Garcia’s cheek.

“Sure thing, Pen.”

* * *

“Aren’t field agents supposed to have really good memories? My apartment is in the opposite direction.” Penelope griped.

“I know, but we’re not going to your apartment. We told JJ and Will that we’d go to dinner. I take my word very seriously, chica.” Luke replied, making a left turn.

“Oh come on. We don’t actually have to go, they were just being polite. Besides, dinner with just the two of us would be weird…” Penelope explained. 

“Why would it be weird? We’re just two co-workers, having dinner at a nice restaurant. Nothing weird at all. Plus, i’m starving, since someone decided to steal all of my popcorn.”

“I didn’t steal anything, newbie. You offered it to me.” Penelope sneered, “But I guess the least I could do to pay you back for eating  **_some_ ** of your popcorn, is to have dinner with you. You’re paying though.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

* * *

After some haggling and Luke flashing his badge, they were able to turn their table of four into a table of two. Unfortunately the only table of two the restaurant had open was in the very back, the most romantic place in the restaurant, which gave Penelope pause. What was supposed to be dinner between two co-workers was starting to feel like a date.

“You know I am perfectly capable of pulling out my own chair.” Penelope mentioned, sitting down at the dimly lit restaurant table.

“I know.” Luke replied pushing Penelope’s chair up to the table before taking his own seat. “But my mother has a sixth sense when it comes to my manners. I forgot to hold the door open for Prentiss one time and my mother called five minutes later. Needless to say I won’t be making that mistake again.”

Penelope giggled, unconsciously twirling a strand of her hair, “Besides all knowing, what’s mama Alvez like?”

“Well let’s see, she’s catholic, strict, catholic, an amazing cook, old-fashioned, and have I mentioned catholic?” Luke asked jokingly, “In all seriousness she’s a saint. She raised four boys while my dad was in the army, I'm not sure how she kept her sanity.”

“She sounds amazing, especially to have put up with you as a teenager. I can’t even imagine it.”

“Hahaha, very funny.” Luke snarked, “What about you? I know you mentioned your parents died when you were eighteen. What were they like?”

Penelope’s smile faltered slightly, “Well...my parents divorced when I was five, I don’t really remember my father that much, but my mom married Emilio when I was seven. Emilio always treated me like I was his own, and my mother had the biggest heart.”

“Well you definitely inherited that from her.”

Penelope let out a small gasp, “Oh shut up!”

“What? I’m serious. You are the most compassionate person I've ever met.” Luke replied, locking eyes with her. 

The pair kept eye contact for a few seconds before Penelope cleared her throat, and glanced down at her menu, “They have great vegetarian options here….” She mumbled.

* * *

  
“So let's get this straight. You told the former section chief to talk dirty to you?” Luke asked, “God, I would've paid money to see that.”

“Laugh at my misfortune all you want, newbie, but just know I could have you living in a cardboard box by midnight.” Penelope threatened, as she walked. After they’d eaten dinner, Penelope had been content to have Luke drive her home, but he’d had other plans. He’d all but begged her to walk around the pier with him and she’d conceded.

“Alright, alright, i’m sorry, it’s just I can totally see you saying something like that.”

“And what's that supposed to mean, newbster.”

“It means that you, Penelope Garcia, are totally one of a kind.” Luke replied, stopping in front of Penelope, “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

Penelope sucked in a deep breath which was a mistake, because Luke was so close she could clearly smell his aftershave. “O-of course you haven’t. I’m magnificent.” 

“Yes. You. Are….” Luke trailed off capturing Penelope’s lip. Kissing Penelope had been everything Luke hoped it would be and more. Where her lips were soft, supple, her teeth brought a little edge as they nipped at his bottom lip, causing him to groan into her mouth. He felt her lips turn into a smirk, before he pulled away for air. “I have a confession to make.” Luke gasped out.

“Is this the part where you tell me you’re a serial killer?” Penelope panted.

Luke chuckled, wrapping his arms around Penelope’s waist and pulling her against him, “JJ didn’t invite me, I overheard you two talking about tonight and I asked if I could tag along.”

Penelope let her eyes trail away from his lips up to his eyes, “Why?”

“Because I wanted to get to know you outside of work. To see who the real Penelope Garcia was.”

“And? What did you conclude, Mr. Profiler?” Penelope asked, seductively.

“You are the most beautiful, most talented, most brilliant woman I've ever met and I also told her to fake an emergency so I could get you alone…” Luke confessed. 

“You did what?” Penelope asked, taking a step away from him. 

“I knew you’d never go out with me alone unless I could trick you into it.”

“So this whole night was an elaborate set up for a surprise date?” Penelope asked, shocked.

“Pretty much, and before you try to pretend that you didn’t enjoy it, just know that I may have counted how many times you laughed and/or smiled.” Luke quipped.

Penelope tried her hardest to school her features into a frown, but she eventually gave into the smirk begging to cross her features. “You know what newbie, you’re right. I did enjoy tonight, but the next time we go on a date, I better be well aware.”

“Next time?” Luke asked, a lazy smirk passing his lips.

“Just shut up and kiss me.” Penelope demanded. Luke was happy to obliged, and not even a second later his lips were on hers again.


End file.
